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A UK-developed new portable scanning device, utilising millimetre wave technology and currently being field tested at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, could soon be saving the lives of soldiers at check-points across the world while severely limiting the lethal potential of terrorism.

The device works by firing a wave of radio beams at two different frequencies and then having an AI system to read the reflections to determine the presence of different types of objects, even if concealed. By running many different objects through the scanner, RPS has built up a significant database that means there are now very few false or unknown readings in testing.

The scanning technology employed by the device is nothing new, says Carl Cagliarini, vice president of global business at RPS (Radio Physics Solutions), the company behind the commercialisation of the scanning device. Millimetre waves have been used to harmlessly x-ray trucks for years but has always been a prohibitively expensive technology (upwards of $500,000 per device) that was non-portable.

RPS, along with the Manchester Metropolitan University, has been able to ‘miniaturise’ the technology and produce it at an affordable price. The company took over a former UK Metropolitan Police project that came about after the Jean Charles de Menezes incident but was later mothballed due to lack of funding. The Met is still heavily involved in the project and has supplied a diverse series of weaponry to be scanned – from gun-powder muskets to bomb vests like those worn on the 7/7 terrorist attacks in London.

From this development, RPS has now started to produce two versions of the scanner – a handheld one that has a range of about 10 meters and a larger mountable version that can fire waves up to 30 meters. “The size and weight have been dramatically reduced,” says Cagliarini. “We’re using composite materials – aviation and F1 grade materials. We’ve gone space-age.”

The devices have been evaluated at the CIA headquarters in the USA as well as at Stennis Space Center in the US state of Mississippi. It is also being used in Brazil – both as a method for tackling gun crime in favelas and as an added security measure at World Cup sites. “We’ll see the first commercial non-military non-police deployment at the World Cup.”

The devices offer a number of advantages over other scanning devices. For one, they can detect potentially dangerous objects even when concealed at a distance that should be outside of potential blast radius. For another, the device is easy to use with a low learning-curve and minimal training time needed. “There’s a visual representation which means it can operate like very high-end CCTV with a HUD [Head’s Up Display] and crosshair that can be pointed towards potential suspects. If the AI detects something, which is done in an eighth of a second, you’ll get an alarm which will tell you whether it’s gun or a bomb.”

They also can detect a wide variety of lethal devices – including those made of non-metal materials. Particularly importantly the device is also the only scanner capable of recognising a 3D-printed gun. “One of the biggest fears right now is that 3D weaponry in composite form could be brought on an airplane very easily,” says Cagliarini. “There’s a real problem with 3d weaponry. Detecting these weapons is impossible with most traditional dectors.

Unlike the full-body scanners at airports which have led to concerns over privacy, the RPS devices also do not give the operator an image of the body being scanned. “Privacy is a major concern in the Middle East. A lady will not be asked to go through certain types of scanner – creating a major potential security breach,” Cagliarini adds.

The start-up has already seen significant interest from government organisations in Europe, North America, Asia Pacific and the Middle East. “There’s huge appetite for acquisition of this technology for markets such as Pakistan Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan and Iraq,” he says. “We’ll focus on the specific markets that have an appetite for this.”

Scanners will also be available on the private market. But RPS plans to keep the street price quite high – around £100,000 per device. This is more to restrict who has access to the technology and governments will get a completely different price. “If people find that it’s easy to access it and gangs or a terrorist organisation get hold of it, they can devote resources to seeing how to fool it,” Cagliarini explains.

If the technology is adopted, it could completely revolutionise check-points. A single device monitoring approaches would be able to detect dangerous items long before they got into range to do harm. If that was to be the case, it would eliminate a major military weak-point where lives of soldiers are always at risk.